Lately I’ve been struck with the idea that parenting is learning just as much as it is shaping. To say it another way, parenting is not only being a teacher, it is being a student….

There are things about my daughter that will be true of her because of my influence in her life. I’m continually humbled by this reality. Katie and I will shape the way that she is more than anybody else on the planet… wow.

But there are also many things about my daughter that will be true of her because that’s the way she is, regardless of my influence in her life.

Even at 14 months old, Lily has a personality. We catch only glimpses of it at this point, but it is there. It’s so fun to see what she’s drawn to, what makes her laugh, how she interacts with people… And we did nothing to put that there.  Katie and I are learning together what she is like.

Lily will have spiritual gifts, given to her by God, and we get to learn what those are as well. She will have interests and passions and strengths and weaknesses (that may have nothing to do with us) and we get the privilege of figuring out what those things are. In fact, it is our responsibility to figure out those things.

When you approach parenting as a student, it changes the way you see things. I’m finding myself praying differently, asking God to help me understand how He’s made Lily so that I can be a good steward of the gift that He’s given us.

There’s a humility in realizing that my posture should be one of learning in my family. The best teachers are the ones who understand their students. I hope that I reflect that in my parenting.

Learning…